


Friends

by Burgie



Series: Dark Circus [1]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-20 13:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14895102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Jack begins to grow suspicious of his fiance. Unfortunately, his gut feeling is right. Jack belongs to uglytwinkboi and Eden belongs to sso-eden-dawnvalley on tumblr, other creds will be added as more characters appear.





	1. Chapter 1

Ydris had had a lot of visitors over the past few days, since he’d changed his appearance. Everyone wanted to look at him, be in his presence, take selfies of him, take sneaky pictures of him. Partially, Jack couldn’t blame them- his fiancé was absolutely smoking hot now. And he was all Jack’s. Sure, the jealousy had been hard to deal with, but Jack no longer felt as jealous now that Ydris was reminding everyone that he was happily engaged to be married.

And yet, out of all the people who had visited, there was one person who had only been there once, spoken to Ydris, and then left. Jack wasn’t sure if it was because of the crowds or what, but he did remember that Louisa had looked mildly alarmed before she’d left. He could call her or text her, but he wasn’t sure. They hadn’t exactly spoken in months, ever since she’d left the gang and started hanging out with a cult.

But Jack knew that she might not answer his call or text, so he headed out on Dale, looking for the friend that he’d lost contact with. Halli scampered along beside him, keeping an eye out for other animals that might cross their path. He didn’t need to go far to find her, seeing the flash of white from a silver bay connemara’s tail as he rode into Moorland. Nobody else wore the maroon druid outfit.

“Hey,” said Jack when Louisa’s horse skidded to a stop at the end of the Bobcatz ‘elite’ racetrack. Louisa looked startled as she frantically paused her podcast and pulled her earphones out of her ears.

“Hey,” said Louisa, glancing at the Bobcat girl who ran this particular race so that she could receive her money for ‘testing’ the race.

“Haven’t seen you around for a while,” said Jack. Louisa looked down at her horse’s mane, fiddling with it for something to do with her hands.

“I’m sorry,” said Louisa, looking up at him like she’d done something wrong. “I just couldn’t stand those two. I tried but-“

“I’m not here for that,” said Jack, cutting her off before the Bobcat girl could get some juicy gossip. Besides, he had other things on his mind, he wasn’t here for that particular conversation just yet. “Let’s go talk somewhere where we won’t get stared at.”

“Okay,” said Louisa, her shoulders slumping with relief that she didn’t have to have that difficult conversation just yet. The two of them rode along the road leading to Fort Pinta, eventually veering off the road near Jasper’s farm where the land had recently reshaped itself into a flat piece of land. The Haflinger mother and her foal were still hanging around here somewhere, though Jack couldn’t see them. Eventually, though, he spied the little red foal over by the fence, the mother grazing nearby.

“Alright, this should be private enough,” said Jack. He looked at his friend, slightly dismayed that she refused to make eye contact with him. That girl really needed to build up some confidence.

“What did you want to talk about?” asked Louisa, looking at the horses over by the fence.

“Out of everyone who’s seen him or spoken to him, you suddenly seem a bit suspicious about Ydris,” said Jack. “Don’t worry, he didn’t send me, he hasn’t noticed and he isn’t upset about it, but… maybe your judgement is better than everyone else’s because you’re not pulled in by how hot he is now.”

“Those friends he mentioned,” said Louisa. “And what he was saying. It all just sounded a bit suspicious to me. The Followers agree with me, especially given the new colour scheme.”

“I did think the new colour was a bit strange,” said Jack. 

“It’s a bit Pandorian, don’t you think?” asked Louisa, finally looking at him. For once, she held his gaze.

“Shit, you’re right,” said Jack. “But maybe his friends are the druids.”

“Maybe but surely, they would’ve mentioned something,” said Louisa. “And I don’t trust the druids, but the things Ydris was saying just made me feel a little suspicious.”

“Things like what?” asked Jack.

“His friends,” said Louisa. “And being in the middle of the ring, where you belong. Maybe it’s just because I’m gay so I’m not affected by flirting, but it just sounded creepy to me. It gave me chills.”

“And not in the good way, I’m betting,” said Jack. “Yeah, I guess that does sound suss when it’s not said in a flirty way.”

“Exactly,” said Louisa. “Almost like bait, or being trapped. Or delivered.”

“I want to hope that he wouldn’t do anything bad,” said Jack. “But… why would Ydris work with the druids? He hates them, unless he’s being controlled. But the only alternative is…” He shook his head. “No, he can’t be working with Dark Core.”

“I really hope he isn’t, for your sake,” said Louisa with a shrug. “But it wouldn’t be the first time someone unexpected has been working with Dark Core.” Jack nodded, having to admit that she was right. 

“Maybe they’re controlling him?” said Jack, his voice shaking. “I know at least one of them can use mind control, and who knows what other powers they’ve got. What power they might have over him.”

“I hope so,” said Louisa. “As bad as that would be for him, I hope that he’s being forced to be on their side.”

“For once, I’m glad you’re part of that conspiracy cult,” said Jack. “I’ll send you some tin foil.” Louisa gave him something that was almost a laugh.

“Maybe talk to your friends about it,” said Louisa. “They might be able to give you some tips.”

“I’ll do that,” said Jack. “Thanks. And don’t be a stranger.” 

“I won’t,” said Louisa, though Jack wasn’t sure if he believed her. He’d heard that she’d been to a few of Elsa’s training meetups, though he hadn’t attended them. At least she was slowly starting to reconnect.

On the ride to Mistfall to drop in on a certain ranger’s girlfriend, Jack saw a horse trailer go past, Louisa sitting in the passenger seat and doing something on her phone. He was glad that she’d called for a pick up, that would have made for a potentially awkward ride.

Jack didn’t go to the ranger station much, preferring the solitude of Mistfall’s forests (especially now that the solitude of Nilmer’s Highland was non-existent). But he still knew the way there, even if he had lost Halli to Kit’s cottage when he’d ridden past the turn-off to Dundull.

“Hey, Alonso,” said Jack, seeing the most handsome ranger at his post waiting for riders.

“Hey, Jack,” said Alonso. “Fancy a little orienteering?”

“No thanks,” said Jack. “I’m looking for your girlfriend.”

“That’s a first,” said Alonso. “Usually, people are either looking for me or wanting to do a race.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint you,” said Jack. “Is she here?”

“Yes, Eden is here,” said Alonso. “She’s just inside the ranger station where I sleep, I think she’s taking the day off or something.”

“Hopefully not sleeping off a hangover,” said Jack. He took Dale into the paddock, leaving him there to socialise with the mustangs, and headed over to the ranger station in search of Zeal.

“Zeal, you decent?” Jack called, knocking on the door. 

“Yeah, you can come in!” Eden called from further inside the building. Jack pushed the door open, finding himself in the admittedly-nice country interior of the ranger station building. Everything here was made of wood, no doubt hand-carved by Alonso himself. Just like Ydris, Alonso was a man who liked to work with his hands and show off what he could do. Also just like Ydris, Alonso had been the subject of intense Thirst for a while after Mistfall had been reopened to the public. Jack had teased Eden about it, but now that he knew what it was like, he felt a little bad for finding fun in her jealousy. Jealousy wasn’t fun.

“Where are you?” Jack asked, not seeing her immediately. He saw her coat and hat, but no Eden.

“Living room!” Eden called. “Wait, you won’t know where that is. Coming.” Jack heard footsteps which soon turned into Eden herself walking through the doorway into the entrance hall. “Hi, Jack. You look thoughtful.”

“An astute observation,” said Jack. “Listen, I’ve gotta ask you about something. It concerns Dark Core.”

“Ugh, those fucks,” said Eden with a roll of her eyes. “There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to deal with them. What about them, what did they do now?” Jack watched as Eden walked into another room, returning with a bottle of wine.

“Well, they haven’t done anything yet,” said Jack, following Eden into the living room where they both sat on the couch. The TV was paused on a show that Jack recognised, having heard Eden talk about it many times. He’d also watched it himself, and was eagerly awaiting the next season.

“Preparing for the next season,” said Eden, seeing Jack’s eyes land on the screen. “But since this is going to be a more serious chat, we should switch that off.” Jack was a little disappointed when Eden did so, he’d much rather sink into a good show rather than talk about how his fiancé might potentially be working for an evil group of people hellbent on unleashing a demon and destroying life as everyone knew it. But some things just had to be done. Eden sat down beside Jack, getting comfortable on the couch. She poured herself a glass of wine, swirling the red liquid around in the glass. “So, young padawan, tell me, what’s on your mind?”

“Ydris has been saying some weird shit lately,” said Jack.

“How weird are we talking?” asked Eden. “Because Ydris has said a lot of weird shit.”

“I dunno, just the way he talks about his mysterious new friends,” said Jack. “I always thought that he just wanted to make a cool circus that everyone comes to.”

“Mm-hm, that was always the intention,” said Eden, nodding.

“What, so you agree with her?” asked Jack.

“Agree with who?” asked Eden, giving him a level gaze. Whenever anything went down, Eden always managed to keep a level head. It was a gift.

“Louisa,” said Jack.

“Oh, so you’ve been talking to her?” asked Eden. Jack nodded. “That’s good, at least you’re possibly trying to reconnect.”

“Anyway, she said that she’s concerned about the stuff Ydris has been saying lately,” said Jack. “This stuff about his friends, she just doesn’t trust it. And that thing about how we’d be in the middle of the big top, right where we should be… I dunno, she had some good points.”

“Well,” said Eden after sipping at her wine. “I hope, for your sake, that she’s wrong about this.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Jack. “Though it’d be just my luck to finally meet this guy who makes me so happy, who chases away the darkness and has promised to be there for me, with me, through it all, and to have him turn out to be some kind of devil worshipper. Or Garnok worshipper here, I guess.”

“Well, I dunno how to help you, but I can promise you this,” said Eden. “If he does turn out to be evil, I’ll kick him in the shins. Because that’s the only part of him I can reach since he’s so freakishly tall.” Jack snorted, a smile curling at his lips.

“Glad I’ve got you on my side to look after me,” said Jack. 

“Well, someone’s got to,” said Eden. She drank some more of her wine. “Suck to have another friend be dating someone evil. Two is more than enough, thank you.”

“Heh, guess it’d be proof of evil being hot,” said Jack. “Come to the dark side, we have hot guys.”

“If this weren’t so serious, it’d be funny,” said Eden. “But it’s not so funny when the stakes are real.”

“God, I hope he’s not evil,” said Jack.

“Me too,” said Eden, gently patting his shoulder. “Me too.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which shit hits the fan.

Jack returned to Ydris’ wagon after his visit with Eden, having refused her offers for drinking his troubles away. He couldn’t drink anyway, not with the meds he was on. Pushing his way through the ever-growing crowd, Jack slipped inside of the wagon, breathing a sigh of relief once all of the noise was gone. The interior of the wagon, thankfully, hadn’t been redecorated. It was still all wood and the expected circus colours, bigger on the inside with a nook for Ydris to study and work on his spells. It still looked very much like a bachelor pad, too, despite Ydris no longer being single. Not that he acted like it, but that was neither here nor there. He was trying.

Days passed without incident, and Jack began to feel like everything was normal. Ydris was still hot and still the subject of many a wet dream (more frequently now, with his new look and new mannerisms). He still stood outside chatting with his new fans and admirers all day, while Jack either stayed in the wagon or went out training or on rides or to Mistfall to chill out. And Ydris still came inside every night for love and cuddles and sleeping together. His new, younger self had more stamina, which was always wonderful to experience.

But then Jack came to the wagon and heard voices inside. He stood at the door, his hand on the doorknob, listening. Thankfully, the highland was for once quiet, as nobody came to see the tent or wagon or Zee. Jack pressed his ear to the door, trying to discern who the other speaker was.

“…plans are coming along quite well. Yours, however…” Who was that voice, the deep and dark and mysterious voice that tugged at Jack’s memory?

“…know. Give me time, please, I’m working on it.” That was Ydris, Jack would know his voice anywhere.

“…patience! Dark Core needs him, needs all of his friends! They are crucial to the fight!” Fight? What fight? Jack began to feel the first flutters of panic, his hands trembling slightly on the purple wood. Behind him, he heard Dale scrape the ground with his hoof.

“I know! Just please, please give me more time, I’ll have him ready in time, I promise,” said Ydris. Jack wasn’t sure, but he thought that he could detect a hint of panic through the wood. Was someone threatening his fiancé? Jack drew back, ready to kick the door down, feeling anger rushing hot through his veins. But then he stopped, lowering his foot again. There was no need for dramatics, he could interrupt the conversation just as easily by simply walking. So he did, turning the door handle and walking inside as Halli darted past him on the way in and Walter darted past on the way out.

The voices fell silent as Jack approached, both of them no doubt listening to the footsteps. Or maybe they’d disappeared. But no, Jack could still hear them breathing. Steeling his nerve, Jack continued, though he couldn’t stop shaking.

The devil himself stood in Ydris’ wagon, right in the middle of his magic study room. Ydris was there with him, looking still more handsome despite the old designated hot guy there with him.

“Who let Hot Topic in here?” said Jack, his mouth moving without his permission. He’d seen how dangerous Darko could be, run from his spells, almost been destroyed outright by summoned tentacles, held paralysed in the grip of a spell. But humour had always been Jack’s fallback when things seemed especially dark.

“You absolutely insolent-!” Darko growled, curling his hand into a fist. Light flickered there, static electricity crackling to life inside the wagon and causing Jack’s hair to stand on end. He was most likely going to die right now, but at least his last line had been good. But, just as the lightning flew at him and Jack closed his eyes and prepared for the end that he’d been craving, a flash of purple stopped him. Jack opened his eyes to find spectral stars surrounding him, much like the stars that surrounded Xin. That had surrounded Ydris until just recently. Holy shit, it was a protective spell.

“The man lives or our deal is off,” said Ydris, his bicoloured eyes glaring down Darko.

“What deal?” asked Jack, looking at his fiancé. He hated that suspicion was growing again even after Ydris had just saved his life.

“Perhaps we have a secret from you, little boy,” said Darko, smirking. “I’m sorry that your little fiancé is keeping things from you. How dreadful that must be, to suddenly realise that the one you love is not all that he seems.” Jack absolutely hated that Darko was right, tears misting his eyes and beginning to fog up his glasses.

“Ydris?” said Jack, trembling. “What fucking deal?”

“Well, I can see that you two have a lot to talk about,” said Darko, looking quite smug as he smirked at the two. “Ta-ta~” He brushed past Jack on his way out, leaving the man feeling cold and empty. His vision greyed for a moment, but he heard, as if distantly, the growl of a fox.

“Halli!” Jack called, trying to run to stop her, the thought of those wickedly-sharp spurs flashing through his mind, but his legs failed him. He heard a yelp as he fell, but he wasn’t sure if it came from him or Halli.

When Jack’s senses returned to him, he found himself propped up in the bed he shared with Ydris, a plastic straw being pressed to his lips.

“Drink,” said Ydris. “It’s only water, I promise.”

“Halli,” Jack croaked, trying to push the glass away but finding himself unable to. Briefly, terror flickered in him- he was weak as a fucking newborn kit, and he should know, he’d seen them.

“She’s fine,” said Ydris, moving his head to gesture to a basket where the small form of his fox lay. Jack turned his head on the pillow and could just barely make out her small orange form, covered in bandages and glimmering with the stars of a protective spell. And a faint aura of magic.

“Halli,” said Jack again, struggling to move. Why was he so weak?

“I healed her, it’s okay,” said Ydris. “She’s going to be just fine, Jack, and so will you, just as long as you drink this water.”

“How am I s’posed to trust you after that, huh?” said Jack. “You’re working with Dark Core. Are they using sexy bastards now to try to recruit people to their cause or somethin’?”

“No, no, no, it’s not like that at all,” said Ydris, shaking his head. There was so much hurt in his eyes that it almost broke Jack’s heart. “I’m so sorry that I ruined your trust in me, I wish that you’d never seen-“

“And how long have you been keeping this from me, huh?” said Jack, glaring at his fiancé even as it broke his heart. “Since we’ve been dating? I thought I was getting away from the fucking druids by being with you, never expected to be getting this far away from ‘em.” He could barely speak past the lump and dryness in his throat. His parched body begged him to just drink the water and be done with it.

“Jack, I’m so sorry,” said Ydris, tears in his eyes. Jack had never seen Ydris so upset before, but his shattered trust wouldn’t let him just let this go.

“Thanks for saving Halli,” said Jack, looking away from him. “And me, I guess. What the fuck happened?”

“Darko possesses the powers of the Shadow Seekers,” said Ydris. “A touch from him can, if he wishes it, drain you of all life.”

“Like a Dementor,” said Jack.

“Is it really so hard to go a day without making a reference to those books and movies?” said Ydris, the resignation in his voice reminding Jack of old times. Jack’s silence prompted Ydris to continue. “Yes, I suppose, like a Dementor. His touch drained you, even through clothing. As for Halli, well…”

“Fucker kicked her with his spurs, didn’t he?” said Jack, tears in his eyes at the thought of Halli so injured. Ydris’ silence was all the answer Jack needed. He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

“Would that it were so simple,” said Ydris. “Please, just drink your water and I will explain.”

“You have until I finish this glass,” said Jack, opening his eyes again and glaring at Ydris as he finally accepted the straw into his mouth. The water felt wonderful on his parched throat, but part of him wanted to savour it, to hear Ydris out.

“Darko approached me when I first arrived on Jorvik, before I even met you,” said Ydris. “He whispered such sweet promises in my ear, of my circus tent drawing in thousands. At the time, I thought that I was old, used-up, a talentless hack. He promised me power beyond my wildest dreams, but I didn’t want that. I only wanted fame. He told me that with a new kind of power, I could become more famous than any other magician in history. Being an egotistical bastard, I… accepted. I had no idea what would become of our deal, but…”

“You’re probably not the first one drawn in by his promises,” said Jack. “Where do I come into it?” Ydris glanced at Jack’s empty glass and Jack nodded and held it out. Ydris closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief before he stood and grabbed the water jug.

“At first, Darko’s promises seemed to mean nothing. Nobody came so I spent my days sleeping. But then he brought a horse to me. Her name was Zee, he said, and she would help me in my quest. I had no idea that it would bring you to me.”

“And?” Jack prompted when Ydris fell silent. He accepted the glass that Ydris gave him, drinking without the aid of the straw this time.

“And I was happy. It was only recently that he told me of his plans for you. And by then, it was too late. I had already fallen for you. But I won’t hurt you. I’ll do everything in my power to not hurt you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” said Jack. “I’m supposedly so important to the druids, they would’ve listened to me.”

“But would they have trusted me?” asked Ydris. “They would have killed me, surely. Or thrown me in that druid prison.”

“Shit,” said Jack. “You’re right. Fuck… I wish I could help you. Instead, I’ve just made your life a fuckload harder.”

“You didn’t make it harder,” said Ydris, looking Jack right in the eyes. “Don’t blame yourself for any of this, because none of this is your fault. If anything, you have finally given me a reason to fight this accursed deal.”

“Are you sure you can?” asked Jack. “I mean, yeah, you’re powerful, but Darko can summon Garnok and fire and… I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

“No need to worry, my sweet,” said Ydris, giving Jack a gentle smile. “I can look after myself. I will break this deal, one way or another, and we will finally be able to be free and happy together.”

“You sure?” asked Jack, uncertainty clouding his gaze. Ydris nodded.

“Positive,” said Ydris, taking one of Jack’s hands in both of his. It was the hand that bore his engagement ring. “I will do anything to have you by my side forever. You are worth more to me than all the fans in the world, Jack. You should know that by now.”

It was only too easy to accept Ydris’ kiss, for Jack to wrap his arms around him, feeble though he was. It was so easy to forgive Ydris. Perhaps that was the power of love.

But Jack still texted Eden later on, once he was feeling better.

_“Ydris is working with DC”_

_“All the good ones are evil or taken”_

_“Yeah :-(“_

_“If he hurts you, I’ll break his kneecaps”_

_“Thought you said you’d kick his shins”_

_“Changed my mind”_

Jack smirked as he read over their messages. He was pretty sure that he wouldn’t need Eden’s help, he trusted Ydris not to hurt him.

In the middle of the night, Jack was awoken by a cry of pain and a horse’s whinny. By the time he struggled out of bed and ran to the door, he was just in time to see the flash of a white tail as Zee vanished down the slope towards the bridge. There was a figure slumped across her back, somehow managing to balance on her flanks like a sack of cement. Jack knew, even without the Pandorian eye spiral, that it was Ydris.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rescue is mounted.

Jack’s first stupid impulse was to run down the slope after the horse despite the pain still sitting in his bones, the coldness that seemed to seep throughout his body like some awful poison. But then, as he stood there, the cold night air crept into his pyjamas, sending him to his knees with a shiver. As he knelt there, shivering, he grabbed his phone from the pocket of his jacket, which he’d thrown on in his haste to get out the door, and dialled a number this time.

“Jack, what are you still doing up?” asked Eden.

“I could ask the same of you,” said Jack, though he was glad, for once, for Eden’s sleeplessness. “Shit’s hit the fan.”

“I’ll kill him,” said Eden. “Wait there, I’ll get my best kneecap-shattering boots and be there as soon as I can.”

“No, no, it’s not something Ydris did,” said Jack. “I think he was trying to get out of working with them and he…” Well, this was going to sound completely stupid, but Eden had lived in Jorvik long enough now to not bat her eye at stupid or weird-sounding things. “I dunno what happened but his new horse, Zee, took off with him towards Harvest. I think she might be taking him to the HQ.”

“Zee? What’s your friend got to do with this?” asked Eden. “Oh, right, that weird-looking new horse. Are you sure?”

“I just fucking saw him dangling off her ass, Eden, I’m pretty fucking sure!” Jack snapped. He didn’t have time for jokes, for questions, for doubts. Ydris was in trouble, and he had to save him.

“Alright, sorry,” said Eden, her voice calm. “I’ll grab Phoenix and be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you,” said Jack, near tears as he trembled and struggled to get up. A large grey horse head was suddenly there, nudging Jack to his feet, and Jack gratefully held onto Dale’s neck as he struggled for breath. Darko had really done a number on him, and just from touching.

“Hey,” said Eden, suddenly there behind him. Before Jack could move, he felt a sudden heat against the middle of his back. He sucked in a breath, feeling warmth fill him to replace the void that had been there before. He turned around, confused, to find Eden holding a shining white crystal. It illuminated her face and the face of the smokey buckskin behind her.

“Thanks,” said Jack, grateful for the warmth. He felt like he could breathe again. 

“Feel better now?” asked Eden. “That looked like a pretty bad panic attack.”

“I wish that’s what it was,” said Jack, not taking his hands away from Dale. “I think it was mostly more magic shit, though. Darko brushed past me and-“

“Darko was here?” asked Eden, looking around, the fragment of Aideen’s light flaring brighter in her hand.

“Ages ago, yeah,” said Jack. “This morning, I think.” Eden lowered the light, extinguishing it before anyone or anything could see the beacon and come running. “He brushed past me and it was like a Dementor.”

“Bastard,” said Eden. “And Ydris was working with him.”

“He was trying to get away from it when I found them this morning,” said Jack. “I guess after we fell asleep tonight, he came out here to try and make Zee go away or something. All I heard was this cry of pain and an angry horse and then hoofsteps. Dale would’ve stopped ‘em, but… he was in the tent for the night and only managed to get out when I fell.” Glancing towards the tent, Jack saw another hole ripped through the new purple fabric. He sighed. Another hole for them to patch up later. But first, there had to be a later.

“You can explain everything to me later,” said Eden. “I came here to kick ass, and you’re clearly too upset to explain everything right now, so let’s just dive in and try to rescue your wizard.”

“Glad we’re on the same page,” said Jack. “I can’t rescue him in my pyjamas, though, too fuckin’ cold for that, so I’ll get changed.”

“Be quick,” said Eden. “I’ll get changed too. Meet you back here in five.”

Eden disappeared into the horse trailer, driving it back to Mistfall, while Jack disappeared inside the wagon and grabbed out some clean clothing. Halli looked up at him from her basket with a little whine.

“Stay here, girl, I’ll be fine,” said Jack softly, crouching down to pet her. “You just focus on getting better, alright? Walter.” He whistled, soon seeing the pile of folds that was his basset hound dog scampering towards him. “Look after her, okay? No play, only keep company. Alright?” Walter wagged his tail, Jack smiling and petting his wrinkly head. “Good boy.”

Eden was already waiting by the time Jack stepped back outside, clad in his usual everyday outfit.

“Finally,” said Eden.

“Hey, fuck off, I had to say goodbye to my very good boy and girl,” said Jack. “Dicko kicked Halli with those spikey fidget spinners he wears on his boots.”

“Oh, poor baby,” said Eden, widening her eyes in sympathy. “Didn’t you heal her?”

“Later,” said Jack, angry at himself for forgetting. At Ydris for also forgetting. But so much had happened that he couldn’t stay mad, he could only be mad at Darko. All of this was his fault. “Let’s just go.”

By the dead of night, with only the light of stars to guide them, Eden and Jack flew across the bridge on horses that seemed to have winged feet. And, once they reached Paddock Island, both horses leapt into the air on spectral wings, flying towards the Dark Core oil rig over the churning sea. It was almost dizzying, how fast they got there. But Jack held it together.

“Do we have a plan of attack?” Jack murmured once his feet were once more safely on the ground. Even if it was the evil, metal grated ground of the oil rig.

“Yep. Attack,” said Eden, pulling her rune wand out of her jacket. Jack had his rune wand too, producing it from the back pocket of his jeans. It probably wasn’t a great idea to keep it there, but whatever. It hadn’t broken or gone off yet.

“Fantastic,” said Jack. “Any idea where they’d be keeping him?”

“Well, I’m not familiar with Dark Core or the prison cells thereof, so no,” said Eden. “Unless they put him on Prison Island, in which case we’re kind of fucked.”

“Not necessarily,” said Jack. “They have a portal to Prison Island here, I’m sure. Unless he can fucking teleport on top of everything.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” said Eden. “But using the portal here would be a bad idea, who knows what it could do to us?”

“If Ydris is through there, I don’t care what it does,” said Jack.

Fortunately, he would never have to find out what the Dark Core portal could do to him. Eden shushed him, holding her finger up in front of his lips, as they heard the sound of voices coming distantly through the rain. Quietly, the two of them snuck up further into the oil rig, avoiding the poor guards stuck with the graveyard shift and trying not to slip in any puddles. As the voices became louder, they began to be able to make out words.

“…again. Hay is fucking terrible to eat day in, day out. And the fucker had the nerve to give me _cookies_.”

“Wow, it sucks to be you. I’m so sorry you had to go through eating cookies and being given a warm, dry place to sleep.”

“So sorry you were forced to hang around Jorvik’s latest most eligible bachelor.”

“But he’s not even eligible! He’s engaged to be married!” Jack smirked, turning to Eden to say something. But Eden looked thoughtful.

“I recognise those voices,” Eden murmured, creeping closer. Jack followed, silently hauling himself up onto a shipping container. Immediately, he had to flatten himself lest the three women standing in front of the shipping container see them.

“Still not the worst thing we’ve ever had to do,” said a woman clad all in black. Jack already hated her- she’d tried to kidnap a squirrel and a bird.

“But I’m supposed to be the most important Dark Rider, and they’re giving me shitty jobs like keeping an eye on one of our partners!” the one in red exclaimed, waving her hands. For some reason, she was the only one of them in a Dark Rider outfit. She also seemed to be the most dry, the outfit was probably a good raincoat, ugly though it was.

“Are you implying that my usual jobs are bad, Sabine?” Darko’s deep voice crooned. Jack clenched his teeth, glaring in the direction of Darko. Eden looked a little conflicted until Jack nudged her.

“No, of course not,” said Sabine. “But I’m used to chasing and doing stealth missions!”

“Nothing is quite so stealthy as disguising yourself as a horse,” said Darko. “Nobody suspects the horse.”

“Some did,” said Sabine. “So I wanted to keep my eye colour, so sue me.”

“Sabine,” the black-clad one groaned, sliding her hand down her face. “Most horses don’t have purple eyes, especially not ones with black coats and white tails. Whatever those ones are called.”

“Silver bay,” said Katja with a deep sigh.

While they were busy talking, Jack leaped down, landing in the midst of them with a snarl curling his lips.

“Where the fuck is my fiance?” said Jack, glad that he was able to remain standing despite the slippery surface and the water beading on his glasses.

“Oh, you’ll never find him,” said Darko, smirking. “Though I see that you finally got over that darkness. That was quick.”

“I’ll ask again,” said Jack, levelling his rune wand at Darko. “Where. Is. He?”

“Do you really think that I am going to tell you?” said Darko with a chuckle. “That would rather defeat the purpose of keeping him captive, now, wouldn’t it?”

“Go ahead and kill me, then,” said Jack. “In case you haven’t noticed, Ydris is more popular now than he’s ever been before. The fangirls and fanboys will come for you. Mark my words.” Darko began to smirk, but then his smirk faded when Eden landed beside Jack, her rune wand in her hand.

“Release the wizard,” said Eden, twirling her wand in her hand. “Or we’ll bust him out ourselves and I don’t care if we have to burn this entire place down to free him.” Jack nodded.

“Your choice, Darko,” said Eden. “It’s us or the Ydris fans.”

As soon as Darko’s hand began to crackle with electricity, Jack and Eden sprung into action, firing off spells to disable their foes. Though neither of them had yet learned Soul Strike, they could still hit their enemy enough until they went down.

“Check the shipping containers!” Eden called as she held off Sabine.

“Already on it!” Jack called back, using his rune wand to blast open the doors of the containers. Most only held hay or apples, though some also held barrels of some strange substance. It wasn’t like the barrels that Mr Kembell had hidden, though- these ones radiated magic.

At last, though, the doors of one container blasted open to reveal the crumpled form of a magician inside. 

“Ydris!” Jack called, running towards him. His footsteps echoed hollowly inside the metal container. As he skidded to a stop on his knees, Jack looked down at Ydris, not minding the water dripping onto him. Maybe it would wake him up, maybe… “Ydris, please, wake up. You’ve gotta wake up, we’ve gotta get outta here, get home, just please, please…” Jack shuddered as he leaned over his fiancé, who looked as feeble now as Jack probably had hours earlier. Maybe he had to use the Light of Aideen, but he’d left it at home.

“Jack, c’mon, we’ve gotta go,” said Eden, standing in the ruined doorway of the container. Jack turned his head to look back at her, though she was blurry.

“He won’t wake up,” said Jack, still shaking. Eden glanced behind her, then put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. It wasn’t long before two sets of four hooves landed on the platform.

“Just put him over Dale, it’ll be fine,” said Eden. “Use a spell to hold him there or something, we’ve just gotta go.”

“Okay but if he doesn’t wake up, I’ll come back here and fucking raze the place,” said Jack, getting to his feet and lifting Ydris as much as he was able. His heart broke at the way the heels of Ydris’ shoes dragged along the ground, at how lifeless his body was as he tried to lay him gently over Dale’s haunches.

“If there’s anything left after we leave,” said Eden. There would have been more humour in her voice, but Jack looked too upset right now to laugh at any jokes.

Jack barely even noticed the base blow up behind them, too focused on the figure slumped behind him. He only relaxed slightly when they reached the highland again and he could take Ydris off of Dale’s back. He carried him inside, laying him down on the bed. He was dripping water everywhere, but right now, Jack really didn’t care.

“Please wake up,” Jack whispered, pressing his forehead to his fiance’s as he curled up beside him in the bed. “Please… please, Ydris.”

Jack wasn’t sure how long he spent hugging Ydris close to him, trembling from the cold and from the chilling thought of potentially losing the love of his life. If Darko had killed him… but no, Ydris was still breathing. Jack could hear it, feel it. Maybe he was just passed out. Yeah, that was it. That had to be it. It explained the clamminess of Ydris’ skin, the paleness of his complexion, the fact that he just would not wake up.

On a whim, Jack ran to Ydris’ magic study and rummaged through the artefacts kept there. He’d begun keeping the fragment of Aideen’s Light here after he’d been given it by the druids, trusting Ydris with it more than he trusted himself with it. It still glimmered faintly, though a brighter glow spread through it once it was in Jack’s hand. Jack clutched it tightly, hoping that this would work on Ydris as it had worked on him.

Jack pressed the crystal to Ydris’ chest, pouring all of the strength and magic that he could muster into making Ydris well again. Into waking him up. He heard bones creaking and cracking, snapping back together. Still, Ydris did not wake. Halli whimpered in her sleep, kicking her hind leg. Jack barely noticed this, however, staring desperately at the face of the man he loved.

“Wake up… wake up…” His vision swam, and Jack was glad that he wasn’t standing. “Please…”

The crystal fell from Jack’s hand as he slumped onto the bed, thoroughly exhausted. He’d done all he could, but…

“Jack?”


End file.
